#30 In our Last Week!

Hello Halong and Goodbye Vietnam

An early call this AM, 7:30, to drive the almost 200 km (125 Miles) from Hanoi to Halong Bay for a one night cruise aboard a traditional but modern junk boat, the Bhaya. Another UNESCO site, Halong Bay is on the northeast coast of Vietnam with over 2,000 small islands over many square miles of water. But in true Vietnamese fashion (at least here in the North), the official island count is 1,969 because........that is the year Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) died. Told you he was a big deal up here in the north, the man who reunified the country!  

  

Sad for us as the day is misty and I am sure we will not have views nearly as spectacular as expected. But tomorrow’s forecast holds more promise. And in the world of Marci Travel, any boat ride is a good one.  

The ride to the Bay included two separate shopportunities. The first was a stop at a large employer of disabled youth who were affected by Agent Orange. They are taught to do intricate embroidery and while interesting, we passed on a purchase. Next was a pearl farm where we were able to watch young girls actually implant both the antiseptics and ‘starter’ material into the live oyster before it was strung up and put in the water. We also watched the harvesting of the pearls from an oyster or two and learned that only 30-40% produce pearls after 7 months. Guess that is one of the reasons they are expensive.     

I declined the pearl pendant and earrings but in our continued commitment to supporting the Vietnamese worker, I fell for the skin cream they produce. Guess what it supposedly does? Stop and reverse wrinkles! I keep hoping to no avail. 

We arrive in Halong Bay with a gray threatening sky and throngs of  people also waiting to cruise. It’s always amazing how much you don’t know about a far away place, even if you’ve researched it to death, until you actually get there. I knew cruises here had gotten very popular and that what once could be a serene day or night on the Bay with a few other boats now was more like hundreds of vessels jockeying for space. However, I had no idea that the entire Bay Area had been turned into a resort town with tons of hotels and resorts and more being built.    

We boarded the Bhaya with our 23 other guests from literally around the world. They were Japanese, South African, Kenyan, Mexican, German, Malaysian and from China and Seattle too! While a sunny day would have been much better, there was a certain eerie feeling cruising through the hundreds of small, cliff-like islands. They looked like they had been dropped from the sky here and there, layered across the bay and today, shrouded  in mist and mystery. 
On the boat the happy hour was chatty, spring roll cooking class and competition (yes we are now masters at spring roll rolling) and dinner was lovely except for the fact that I chose to sit next to what looked like a nice couple, our age, for some conversation. Turns out they were German and did speak English but chose to sit in silence with us and each other the entire meal.

Marci fishing for squid, after dinner

There were a couple of excursions in row boats or tenders to grottos and caves and before we knew it, it was Sunday and we were disembarking to head back to Hanoi’s airport.  After a fast 3 hour flight we arrived in Singapore & the world's nicest airport.

It was a long day but finally we checked in to our hotel about 1:00 AM and fell into bed. By now, the cough Steve caught from our driver when we arrived in Hanoi was turning into a full fledged cold. Looks like our trip will start and end with stuffy noses and hacking chests.  

Even from the taxi Singapore looked beautiful. The lights, the architecture, the wide streets, and yes, without a bit of trash. We had an easy Day 1 here, a late wake up, a bit of pool time and then off to the National Museum where, yet again, upon learning some of the history of this nation, we felt totally and utterly uneducated.    

When we studied WWII years ago, our view of the Japanese started with the bombing of Pearl Harbor but never included their attempt to invade, take over, and dominate Asia country by country, year after year, or at least not in the detail the museum displayed. Nor their penchant to repress their new territories with prisons and rationing that should have been called starvation.  

We always knew Singapore was a multicultural country but never knew how this came about or that they chose to become part of Malaya (today Malaysia) for a few brief years before becoming independent again or how well thought out their plan was to bring Singapore into the modern world, remain a democracy, and plan for prosperity for all.  Their early programs for housing and full employment should be a model for the world. 

Singapore is Chinese and Malay and Singaporean and Indian and more. So how is it that this country has a chosen a path so different? They speak English, everything is immaculate, they are not agrarian. There are museums and businesses (not just people selling food from stalls), super modern subways, and calm traffic. Everyone waits and crosses the street at the corner with the green light. It is safe and feels peaceful. How did they get all these people who come from different cultures to conform to their vision so easily? I still have no answer but we will spend the next few days trying to solve that mystery. 

Filthy, Dirty Subway Car in Singapore....also silent.......

Hoping Steve feels better today so we can start to see it all. He abbreviated his ‘Christmas’ blog. So here  are a couple of the most beautiful Xmas trees from SouthEast Asia. We hope it was a Merry Christmas for all those who celebrate and for those only eating Chinese and watching a movie!